This invention relates to holders and carriers for articles such as food and beverage containers, flower pots, and the like and particularly to such which are die cut from flat sheet material and which, upon separation and extension of the cut portions, form a means for holding or carrying the articles in a balanced suspended position.
A variety of means for holding and carrying a plurality of prepackaged containers such as beverage cans and the like are known. An example of prepackaging of containers such as cans for convenient carrying is the familiar six-pack, whether it be of cardboard or of plastic sheet which is formed to fit the tops of the cans or die cut to provide collars around the cans. In addition, the use of fold out cardboard trays for convenient carrying of beverage containers such as common frustoconical throw away containers used by fast food and food take-out establishments are also known. These fold out trays either provide a typical tray configuration into which the containers are placed or contain cut out openings into which the containers may be placed for carrying several at one time. Such container holders and carriers have only limited application. Thus, the common means utilized to hold a prepackaged six-pack together is not suitable for utilization as a means for packaging together, for convenient carrying, loose containers at the point of sale. Similarly, the fold out cardboard tray has its limitations in that the use of cardboard provides a bulky unit, with concomitant expenses of manufacture, storage and transportation, possessing inherent limitations of cardboard material arising from weaknesses occuring when the material becomes wet from spillage from the containers being carried.
Many consumer items are sold in an incomplete state in that subsequent provision must be made for fully assembling the items, attaching them to a wall, providing them with a more attractive environment and the like. An example of such an item is the potted plant which, because of its popularity, is sold not only at florists but in supermarkets, department stores, drug stores, variety stores and from portable carts in shopping centers, airports, parks and other places where people are likely to assemble or pass. It is currently the vogue to attractively display plants as suspended hanging plants. However the hanging potted plant requires a suspension holder which must not only be pleasing to the eye but also must be of sufficient strength to hold the plant. Heretofore, there has not existed such a suspension holder which is both attractive and strong and economically mass produced for convenient sale along with the potted plant at the point of sale.